Dropped Artificial Legs And Bombs As Well

Chronicle (Levin), 21 April 1949, Page 8

Dropped Artificial Legs And Bombs As Well

Press Association)'

(Per

AUCKLAND, April 20. Back in 194l' ' the famous legless R.A.F. fighter pilot, Wing Commander Douglas Bader, was shot down over Franee and his artificial linibs were smashed. When word reaehed London that he had at last been captured and was lying helpless in hospital, two new legs were stowed aboard a bomber, flown- to enemy territory, and paraehuted to him. The eourageous Bader 's close friends flew that bomber.' Oue of them, Squadron Leader P. Clapham, remembered that strange delivery flight when he arrived in Auckland in tiie Waiwera this morning. The story at the time of Bader 's capture, told that^the Germans offered i the R.A.F. a two hours local armistice to come OArer and. drop the legs un1 niolested. The R.A.F. had refused, i saying it would drop bombs and legs at the same time. It did. The Germans

; picked up the legs safely, handed them ! to Bader and gave him a party. After J that he was just another prisoner till one morning the warders found hitn ! gone. They picked him up four days later walking towards the coast. Till the end of the war Bader 's artificial legs were taken away from him every night and locked up. Squadron Leader Clapham said this morning that word eame through th'e Red Cross about Bader 's capture and | loss of the legs. "We had no trouble ! getting permission to fly him a new | pair, ' ' he said. "He got them all right too. " Squadron Leader Clapham saw Badei not long before he sailed from Englan i. 1 " He still likes to fiy as much as posi sible and has a job which takes xnm | all over the place in his aircraft," he said. He recently fiew his plane to Singapore on business. Himself an experieneed airman, Squadron Leader Clapham is liere to take up the position of niilitary secretary to the Governor-General. He fiew with the Fighter Command and Secoml Tactical Air FOrce during the war.